Working With the Stars
by Me
Summary: To distract Jackson and Ramona from clashing on his 7th birthday, Michelle shares how a chance meeting from one "Full House" book led to her fashion empire and Steph's career. Alludes to Olsen twins existing in canon, their show explained a bit more in my Full House fic "Under the Weather"
A/N: I just realized this is the first ongoing show I've done fanfic for, except for one parody of Star Trek: Voyager and one where a bunch of tribbles lead to them getting home.

So, while I don't own "Fuller House," or any other thing I've done fanfic for, I hereby give creators rights to any of this they want to say is canon – or any of my ideas for "Full House" fanfic that can tie in to "Fuller House". Think of it as a pundit predicting a game or season.

This NetU fic references the book "Full House Michelle: My Best Friend is a Movie Star" by Cathy East Dubowski). It's figured here to be NetU, it was already deemed TVU due to both calendar conflicts with more clearly Book Universe books and also characters being more like TVU. It also separates what's been done with TVU, showing how things might have developed with Stephanie and Michelle in the NetU, just as my "Who Let the Dogs In" with Steve and D.J. not kissing at the prom as the Point of Departure. (Also the actor playing Steve was signed for a season 9, so the Prom as a POD makes even more sense with a TVU where they keep going.)

The first episode mentioned Michelle having a fashion empire but "Ramona's Not So Epic Party" mentions her getting a designer dress "by Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen," and it's clearly their brand, so MK&A is not just Michelle's brand name. I don't know if I'll get much else "Fuller House" fan fiction with all my other projects, but you'll see how I think it could go in the Tanners' world here, with a "Full House" fic showing more thanks to adding to a little plot bunny I'd had earlier.

The incident with the pony at Jackson's 6th birthday was mentioned in one episode. While Kimmy has trouble enforcing consequences for Ramona later, she is very well behaved normally and from Kimmy's explanation it appears this was only because of the particular circumstances and that she normally did do so.

Melanie is adopted by Jesse and Becky to give them another kid in TVU – since in NetU they have no other kids Denise's seemed like a very good family. Darcy is a book Universe friend in a different Middle School but same high school here, unlike Allie who knew Stephanie since Kindergarten but moved away in TVU and here. It's said Darcy designed some sports team uniforms in one or two books.

Working With The Stars

"You ate my ice cream," Ramona Gibbler, six and a half, complained to Jackson Fuller, who was celebrating his seventh birthday.

"Did not," Jackson retorted. "You had your ice cream with everyone else." The other children had left his party, and Jackson's mother D.J. and father Tommy were chatting for a moment with Ramona's mother Kimmy – the women had been friends for as long as they could remember – and D.J.'s youngest sister, Michelle, who was there visiting.

"I mean the extra scoop my mom gave me just now," Ramona replied.

"Well, maybe it was payback for you blowing out my candles and riding away on my pony last year," Jackson retorted. She'd misbehaved in a couple other small ways there, too, the result of a sugar rush and just being a Gibbler.

Ramona tried to get out of admitting it. "I did not ride off on your pony." It had been a rental for the party anyway, so she was partly right.

"Then how come there was still a saddle on your timeout chair next time we came over?" Jackson retorted. It hadn't been the saddle from that pony, but a play one instead; she had just forgotten to remove it afterward.

Jackson grabbed some M&Ms from her plate and ate them. "Hey, you ate my M&Ms now."

"Did not." "Did too." After a couple more rounds of this, Ramona said "Did too" and Jackson replied, "Did three."

"Did four," Ramona said, a bit too caught up in the counting, especially when Jackson came back with "Did five."

The children went up to "eight," but Jackson said, "Did ten."

"Ha, you skipped 'nine,'" Ramona said triumphantly.

"Nuh-uh, seven ate nine," Jackson explained. "Since I'm seven, I can eat nine, 'cause seven eight nine." He ate a few more off her plate.

Ramona stood and walked hastily into the living room complaining, "Mom, Jackson says he's seven."

"Of course he's seven; that comes after six," Kimmy said as Jackson walked in, too.

"But then he said seven ate nine," Ramona griped.

Michelle looked at Kimmy's confused face as Ramona's mom tried to figure out what the complaint was. "Jackson, what are you to?" Michelle asked. "You know it's not nice to make Kimmy's brain freeze up."

"So you want to start a new counting system?" Kimmy finally said.

Tommy put an arm around him, knowing that shortly before Jackson had been griping about his last birthday. He figured this was behind whatever arguing was going on. Jackson crawled onto his lap as the fireman spoke. "Son," Tommy said, "I know it's rough, but you have to remember Ramona's apologized. And, she's a Gibbler, so things will be a little weird sometimes." Kimmy left to answer a text as the discussion continued.

"I know. Aunt Stephanie says she and Kimmy argued a lot when she was my age."

"Right; but, your mom and Ramona's mom are best friends, and you need to learn to at least get along. Plus, she's a girl, and you know how we've talked about how we treat girls with respect."

Jackson looked downcast. "Sorry I took your ice cream and M&Ms and stuff just now," he told her. "I do want girls to like me. That sounds kinda cool, the way you and especially Uncle Jesse talk about it."

"It's really cool." Tommy put an arm around D.J., and they kissed. "Someday, you'll meet one as special as your mother," he finished dreamily.

"One who takes you shopping," Ramona boasted, ignoring Jackson's sour look. She liked shopping a lot more than he did. "I like your Aunt Michelle more than you 'cause she's got great fashion stuff!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

Kimmy returned. "Hey, Deej, can Ramona stay here for a while? There's an emergency with the party planning somewhere, and Fernando's still out racing."

"Sure. Oh, there's the baby," D.J. said as she heard Max on the baby monitor. Tommy said he had to get down to the fire station.

"Come here, you two," Michelle said. They sat on opposite sides of her on the couch. "You can both love me; it doesn't have to be a competition. Tell you what, why don't I tell you a story. Because, Steph and I both wound up getting into the celebrity scene the same way."

Ramona tried to think. "Isn't she the one with the songs?"

"You kids hear the Disneyfied lyrics on some of them," Michelle said with a nod. "That's how she got started as a deejay for lots of parties where they play her songs – and others. Anyway, I met this girl who was about my age on the beach one spring, when I was in fourth grade. I learned an important lesson when I invited her to my house – where your Grandpa Tanner lives," she told Jackson. "She didn't want to be treated like a superstar, she wanted to be treated like a normal kid. She was upset when I went overboard, but we made up and had a couple play dates when she came up to San Francisco. Then, that summer, she invited us to Los Angeles…"

FHFHFHFHFH

Michelle, nine, looked at her friend from the beach. After a couple months, they had become good friends. As she saw the trailers and looked at all of the work people were doing, on the movie set they were standing in, she had a new appreciation for why her new friend had not wanted anything to do with show business when Michelle invited her to her house.

"This is nuts," Michelle stated bluntly. "You guys are on set all day? You don't get to do anything else sometimes."

The girl smiled. "I still love it, though. It's a lot of fun. I just like to be able to relax sometimes and not have to be in costume and everything. I like to be me. All the work isn't the only reason I like the chance to just be a kid. But, that's one of them."

"I can see why you like it. It seems so glamorous," Stephanie, fourteen, said to her. "When our dad decided to bring us here for a small vacation – thanks again for showing us around, by the way – I really looked forward to it."

Jesse Katsopolis and Rebecca Donaldson, the girls' uncle and aunt, were behind them. "Sure," Jesse spoke, fondly reminiscing, "that's one of the reasons I loved music so much. It was a lifestyle, man. I had so much fun."

"I'm glad we could bring you girls down," Becky said. "Joey and the boys were so excited to see some of the cartoon stuff." Joey Gladstone lived with them and the Tanners. He'd taken their twin sons, Nicky and Alex, to see that.

Stephanie walked around the set, currently not in use, and whistled. "I could certainly get used to this life, too," she told Jesse.

"Everyone thinks being a movie star is just wall to wall good times," Michelle's friend said. "But, you need time to relax, too. I sure do."

"That's why we're so glad she met you, Michelle," the girl's mom said.

"Well, there are jobs outside of performing that still let you be involved. Look at what your dad and I do," Becky pointed out.

"Oh, you got some great stars, just like that guy with the longest last name ever," Jesse teased.

"Well not all of our interviewees are celebrities in the normal definition of the word," Becky confessed.

Stephanie found herself taking a pen and notepad out of her purse as she meandered. She thought maybe she could get an idea or two from this to make a school project out of it when it started again next month. She knew she'd have creative writing assignments, for instance.

"Hello," Stephanie said to someone. "Are you an actor?"

"No, I assist the man who produces the musical score for this movie."

Stephanie was intrigued. She hadn't realized someone actually wrote music for movies and shows, though it made sense when she thought about it.

"That must take lots of talent," Stephanie said. "My Uncle Jesse over there used to be in a band, I don't know if you ever heard of Jesse and the Rippers?" She was sure he wouldn't have heard of one Jesse had been in for less than a year, the Monkey Puppets. "Anyway, he always found it difficult to remain consistent, although he did do quite a few good advertising jingles. I've tried to write some, too." She chuckled inwardly at how she was trying to impress this young man. She supposed it was just part of her being intrigued at the idea of working in Hollywood.

"Is that what you were writing?"

"This?" Stephanie began. She flipped through the notepad as she spoke. "No, it's just random ideas for inspiration. Although, I did write this down and copied it in my diary."

She showed the young man prose she had written after Michelle's horse riding accidents over a year earlier. It had been inspired by the fact that Michelle remembered her first because of the first day of kindergarten and how she had clung to Stephanie. Michelle had then clung to her a bit more for a few days even after recovering her memory, which was the normal thing for any amnesia victim. Yet, Stephanie and Michelle had had a big fight right before it.

"I like this. May I show this to someone?"

Stephanie shrugged, but with a small bit of hope that whoever it was would like it. "Go ahead." She walked back over to the others and told them what had happened. "He should be back soon."

"Great," Jesse encouraged her. "That's the way to do it if you want to get ahead. Make sure you get advice on what you're good at and how to improve it, and put your stuff out there as much as possible."

"Michelle and her friend want to go over to see a TV set," Becky explained. "She says Mary kate and Ashley might be over there, too. We'll go, you can wait here," she told Jesse.

"Cool," Jesse said, knowing that this child they were going to meet starred in shows for kids. "Yeah, Michelle loves them on that show." He had matured a lot from his wild days before moving into take care of the girls after Danny's wife died - at the same time he and his best friend Joey had moved in - but was still not as interested in kid stuff if he didn't have to be.

"You talk like you were never dying to see an episode. Remember this past May?" Becky trailed off with a grin.

Jesse held up a finger. "That was only because the time travelers were bringing Elvis forward," he insisted. The show had begun – after cancellation of Joey's "Surf's Up" cartoon – as a combination of "Back to the Future" and "Indiana Jones," but with a family element. However, much like he Fonz on "Happy Days," the Olsens had quickly stolen the show, and soon the time travel was secondary to the family atmosphere of the present day, with people from the past brought forward for comic or other purposes and staying for a while at times..

A short time after Becky, Michelle, and her friend left, the young man returned with his boss. The older gentleman shook Jesse's hand. "I believe I heard you and the Rippers playing live once," he said truthfully. "Weren't you number one in Asia somewhere?"

"Yeah, it was Japan," Jesse affirmed with pride.

"Anyway, my assistant was showing your niece's one poem to me. I'm very impressed." Turning to Stephanie, he asked how often she wrote.

"Oh, once in a while." She explained briefly what had inspired that particular one. "So, you like it?" She asked slowly, not exactly sure where this was headed, except that she hoped it would be some kind of stardom.

He could sense her excitement. "Yes, I think it shows great potential. You know, you might be able to work with your uncle and turn it into a song."

"Look, I know I pushed too hard with your guitar playing, Steph …" Jesse said, trying not to force things this time yet hoping she would want to do it, with or without him.

Stephanie nodded. She admitted, "When I was nine they said I had talent to go to dance school, but I wound up not having a life. I guess maybe I could have advised Michelle about that with her friend. I mean, I just don't want to be in a position where I'm only doing that."

When asked, the man was told the family was from San Francisco. "Tell you what, if you don't want to work with your uncle – and I understand there can be pressure with family - I'll give you the name of someone who can maybe help you learn how to put music to something like that. If you'd like, you can work with that poem, move some words around to make it fit into a normal pattern for a song, things like that. And, you can just work at your own pace."

"Thanks." Stephanie breathed a sigh of relief. "It's so confusing. I mean, I'd love to be able to write like that… I like to be able to hang out and have fun, too, though."

Jesse snickered. "Well, Steph, if you just write the songs and let other people sing 'em, you don't have to worry about all that rehearsing."

"True."

They talked for a few minutes until Becky returned. "Danny and D.J. saw us, they're with Michelle. She met the twtins. They and her friend are talking with some people about fashion," Becky shared.

"Michelle did mention an interest in that after meeting…" Stephanie began. Before she could say the first girl's name, however, D.J. came running up to her.

"Steph, this place is so cool. It almost makes me want to reconsider veterinary school and go back to Journalism."

"You'll do great at whatever you do, Deej," Becky spoke confidently.

"I've learned so many interesting things about how this works," D.J. continued. "Did you know they have specific jobs they put out for people with five lines or less?"

"What's it called?"

"Fine lines or less," D.J. told Stephanie.

"I'm wondering about commercials, too. You know, I got so busy with dance and other stuff I never really tried to do any more after 'Oat Boats,'" Stephanie pondered aloud.

Jesse smiled wistfully. "Yeah, that was a lot of fun for you. Don't be afraid to chase your dreams, Steph. And, no matter what happens, whether you succeed or not, we'll be here for you."

"Thanks, guys," Stephanie said as she hugged them.

FHFHFHFHFH

Back in the present, Michelle provided a segue way. "Fashion was a cool idea then, but it was just something we talked about for a couple years. I was only nine, so I hadn't made a clear career decision yet, but I was starting to get contacts and they let me help design some costumes for the school play."

"So, you're the reason Yankee Doodle got that really hip look about ten years ago," Jackson said matter-of-factly. "Everyone still talks about that."

"Yep. That's cool they still talk about that. I didn't get to play Yankee Doodle – our Uncle Jesse and joey changed the play around so it was different than we'd had it before – but I got to put clothes on him."

Ramona gasped. "Yankee Doodle was naked before?"

"I meant new clothes," Michelle said with a giggle, the same delightful laugh everyone said reminded them of the girls' late mother, Pam. D.J. came by with the baby having overheard. She passed her a knowing look that said, "She's a Gibbler." Michelle continued. "Anyway, that was good for what would come the following year, when Stephanie needed to get me away from some parties she was going to."

"What did she do?" Ramona asked.

FHFHFHFHFH

Stephanie was just starting her first year at Bayview High School. Tenth grade. A time for her to make even more new friends – including those from the rival high school – and go to all sorts of fun parties.

However, this Friday night she knew she'd be asked to babysit Michelle, who was entering sixth and a couple months shy of eleven. At least Nicky and Alex would be with their parents visiting someplace, they would leave right after school; Steph hadn't caught where. Joey, of course, was performing.

Then, she remembered the girl she'd heard about. After seeing her in the cafeteria at lunch, she walked up to her. "Hey, I'm Stephanie. You're Darcy, aren't you?" she asked as they sat at the same table for lunch on Thursday. "Can you do me a favor?"

"As long as it's not illegal," Darcy quipped. "You must have been at Van Atta "

"Yeah. I heard you designed the uniforms where you went," Stephanie said as she dipped a French fry into some ketchup.

"I did design a couple teams' uniforms Why? Do you need my help designing something?" Darcy thought this new girl seemed very up front, but she was the same way. So, it didn't matter too much to Darcy.

"No, actually, it's my sister, Michelle. She's like a clothing nerd," Stephanie explained. She indicated Gia and a few others with her head. "My friends and I have this party Friday night, and I know my family, they'll ask me to babysit – unless they can get D.J. and Tommy to come over; she's my oldest sister."

Darcy chuckled. "I know what it's like; I've been on Michelle's end. I've got two older sisters."

"Cool. Anyway, if you came over, you could help Michelle a bit. Give her some tips, you two could get some fashion magazines if you wanted. I'm sure my dad would rather have me babysit, but if I tell him I'm helping further Michelle's possible career by doing this, he'll probably jump at the chance."

"Sure, why not. I don't know if your sister's into sports uniforms, but even if she's more into regular clothing, I'm sure we'd have lots to discuss." Darcy was curious about one thing, though. "You're not going to be doing anything wrong, are you?"

"Nope. My mom died because of a drunk driver when I was five. I want to stay away from the characters that do that sort of thing. And, I've heard enough of my dad's Dad talks to know such irresponsibility starts really young."

"Good luck sticking to that; my older sisters have told me lots of things, too, about some high school kids," Darcy replied.

"Great. Thanks."

"Anytime." Once they exchanged phone numbers, Darcy remarked, "You know, in some other world, where we went to Middle School together – I was in fifth when we moved here – I bet we'd be best friends. We both get really excited and just go out and do stuff."

"We probably would have."

"Well, as long as you'll keep things safe, maybe we can do things together when I'm not helping your sister," Darcy quipped.

Stephanie smiled. She realized then that she'd pushed this onto Darcy too fast. "Sure, we will," she promised. And, they would, especially when they learned Darcy had a swimming pool.

However, for now, Darcy was happy just to be getting in with a group her second day of high school. She'd have been happy hanging out with just the athletes since she was on a couple sports teams in Middle School, but she'd been hoping to meet more people than that.

Stephanie gave Danny the Powells' number when she got home. Danny understood, as she'd predicted. Not only was it going to help Michelle's career, Danny also understood Stephanie's desire to be with her friends, and praised her for her leadership finding a good, responsible person to babysit instead so she could do that.

Saturday afternoon, Stephanie invited her friends over to her house. To Stephanie's delight, Michelle was anxious to go over to Darcy's.

"Wait, this is too easy," Stephanie said as she heard a horn honk. "And, why are you carrying a bag, anyway, Michelle?" she wanted to know.

"It's got my bathing suit. Didn't Darcy tell you she had a pool?"

Stephanie gve it "it figures" not. "I need to learn to find these things out. Well, you got one up one me for once." They hugged, and Michelle ran out the front door.

Danny came in from the kitchen as Stephanie's friends entered the house. "Steph, why was your younger sister so anxious to go over to another high school student's house?"

"Because, Darcy has a swimming pool." Stephanie flapped her arms at her side. "I can't believe I didn't find that out before. I guess I need to slow down talking."

"I guess what I'm trying to ask is, you're not trying to keep her away so she can't spy on you, are you?" Danny asked in a voice loud enough to make sure the newer kids heard it.

One of them overheard and responded. "Don't worry, Mr. Tanner, she told us about your late wife. She said she'd always insist no alcohol."

"And, when she's older, she'll always get a ride if she does drink," Gia maintained.

"Well, that's very good. I'm very proud of you for that. But, that's not the only problem kids can get into at your age. For instance, I notice some of your friends are of the male variety. And, well, obviously, with others being female, including yourself, well…"

"Dad, don't worry. There won't be any making out," Stephanie said lowly.

"I know. Well, since D.J. and tommy are together this afternoon and the rest of the house is empty, my living room is your living room. As long as you don't' intend to wreck anything. So, please, enjoy this fine living room, this wonderful couch, I'll just hang out and, well, come and go."

Gia looked tiredly at Stephanie. "At least your sister could have been tricked."

"I know. "She's also more subtle about spying, if nothing else. And, now she'll be swimming. I guess we're better off just including Darcy when we can," Stephanie replied.

"hey, maybe it'll inspire another song," one boy suggested. He told Danny, "She's already scribbled a couple little ones on napkins for our team."

"That's great, Steph," Danny said excitedly. "But, you know, if you want to do this as a career…"

Stephanie knew what Danny was thinking. "Don't worry, Dad. I grabbed a bunch of napkins from the cafeteria to carry with me and put that little copyright symbol on ech of them."

FHFHFHFHFH

"What's copyright mean?" Ramona asked back in the present.

"That means you own the right to the song and the money from it," D.J. explained. She had changed Max's diaper and was now in the living room playing with him, as were the others. She told ramona one other thing. "When you send something to the copyright office, though, you have to put it on something official; your mom learned that."

"Did she send them something on a napkin?" Ramona wanted to know.

"No," D.J. said, "she wrote it on a piece of cheese."

"She thought it had a chance to be gouda," Michelle quipped, "but they'd seen cheddar ones."

He didn't know how to respond to that weirdness, so Jackson ignored it. "I bet Darcy was lots of help," Jackson said.

"She was; we're still really close. And, it was almost two years later Steph and I both got our big breaks."

She looked up and said, "Tommy and I were engaged by then. I was planning my wedding, and I figured I'd just do you a favor and let you help with the bridal party's dresses. Little did I know…' D.J. said dreamily.

FHFHFHFHFH

D.J. and Tommy were about to enter the Tanner home through the front door when they saw Denise Fraser – one of Michelle's classmates soon to be in eighth grade– and a smaller biracial girl of about five being dropped off. "Hey, Denise, hey, Melanie" D.J. and Tommy both said.

"D.J., Michelle said she got big news!" Melanie screeched.

Tommy smiled as Denise tried to coach Melanie into using a slightly calmer voice. "Denise, you and your older brother are the best things that could have happened to Melanie."

"When I see her skipping up the sidewalk so happily, I think back to when your family adopted her almost two years ago…" D.J. continued. It had actually been that long since she had come to lie with them, but the adoption was final now. "it's funny," she told tommy as she opened the door for all of them, "if things had gone a bit differently, Uncle Jesse and Aunt Becky might have beent he ones to adopt; I mean, they had talked about it, but then they got busy helping Steph with her songwriting and going back and forth with Michelle – after they'd already chaperoned some her fourth grade year for the soccer team…"

The thought left hanging, Denise decided to ask Danny – he was cleaning as usual. "Mr. Tanner, what's Michelle's news?" Denise asked.

"Hey, Denise, hey, Melanie; I think she'd rather tell you herself."

"It's probably about helping with my bridal party dresses; I know I've dropped plenty of hints," D.J. informed them.

"Can we come to your wedding?" Melanie inquired.

Denise chuckled. "If we get an invitation. We have to wait till then – you don't just go asking if you can go to a wedding. It's not like a birthday party," Denise kidded lightly.

"It'll be pretty small," D.J. said, realizing that a flower girl was still needed; if they couldn't find one, perhaps Denise's family could come. Michelle would be a bridesmaid.

The door burst open before she could comment on this. "Guess what? I've got big news!" Stephanie shouted.

"Congratulations, honey," Danny said, coming over to give her a hug.

"You don't know what it is yet, Dad," Stephanie pointed out.

"When has that ever stopped me?"

"Is it bigger than Michelle's?" Denise asked.

"Oh, no," Stephanie said anxiously. "I can't tell you what I sold now. If I do that and then Michelle comes in with her news, I'll be upstaged."

"What did you sell?" D.J. asked.

"I sold… uh, a 1982 Babe Ruth card. Yeah. Wait, he played a lot earlier," Stephanie rambled as she tried to hold at least some of it in.

"I think it's only Satchel Paige who was that ageless," Danny joked.

"Hey, guys," Michelle said as she entered. "Hey, Denise; I'm glad you could come too, Melanie," she said sweetly.

"Come on, hurry it up and tell your news so I can tell my news," Stephanie insisted.

"She sold a babe Roof card," Melanie said. "Was it a Christmas card or a birthday card?"

Denise playfully mussed Melanie's hair. "Babe Ruth was a baseball player; he was on baseball cards."

"If I play baseball will people send me cards like them?" Melanie asked.

"Child," Denise said, putting an arm around the little girl, "Babe Ruth and Satchel Paige were so good, people gave each other cards with their pictures on them." It was the best way, at the moment, for Denise to explain it.

"Anyway, Michelle told me over the phone, but I thought you'd like to tell everyone yourself, honey," Danny told Michelle.

"Okay, you know how I've been friends with a few Hollywood kids?" Michelle said. "Well, I've been working with some of them because they want to put together a fashion line. And, they asked me to help as one of the designers!"

"Wow, that's awesome!" everyone told her.

"So, guess what? Since they're obviously busy with other stuff – sure, we're only in eighth grade, but it's something we've all talked about with the contacts – I get to sit in on some stuff tht'll help me from there and eventually the business end. I told Dad I'd need his help on that part, especially right now till I learn how to do a lot of this stuff, if I keep working with them for a while." Michelle said she knew that just entering eighth grade she wasn't going to be doing a lot right away. "It's a big start, though. And, if I do a good job, I'll have some really big names backing me once I get out of school. Which means someday soon, you might be wearing stuff designed by me," Michelle told Melanie.

Stephanie waited a moment for the celebration to die. She was glad to be going second here. "Okay, you know that poem I wrote and worked on a bit, and then put some music to it? The Best Kind of Memories?" The others nodded. "Well, guess what. After a bunch of reworking, I was just on the phone with someone down in Los Angeles; I called from Gia's hosue because I was so anxious to see what was going on. And, a top singer is actually buying my song," Stephanie said with jubilation.

Everyone, Michelle included, began hugging Stephanie now the way they'd hugged Michelle earlier. Melanie asked, "What about the baseball card?"

"That was just a joke," Denise explained.

"I've got a couple others I'm working on, too, and the performer said they like it. I'm sure I'll be able to sell those, too." Stephanie exhaled keeply. "Wow. Just think, Dad, this is my senior year, and if things work right, maybe I wont' even have to go to college. Or at least I'll pay my way."

"Go, Steph; you need to make sure you have plenty of business acumen for something like this," Danny reminded her.

"You're right, I should Or, I could put it off for a year, or…" she trailed off, not wanting him to think she might not go. It was still up in the air now. "I mean, wow. This is amazing. I didn't push myself; I just let it flow naturally. Thanks for not pushing me too hard, Dad," she said with a big grin as she embraced him after leaping a bit. They hugged for a moment.

"Wow, this is amazing,' Tommy muttered, finally able to catch up to all that he'd heard. "Your family is so talented, D.J.."

They embraced, too, as he reveled in the expectation of their dream wedding which was soon to come. He'd known he wanted to be a fireman for a long time. He'd trusted God for so much when going to fight them, knowing his time could come at any moment, though he was confident that at least he knew his eternal home was Heaven, thanks to having trusted Christ as his SAviour. But, not only could he rest in that eternal, unconditional love, he'd also found something just as special right here on Earth.

"I couldn't imagine having anyone other than you. You've got the same thing the rest are so good at – that great unconditional love like we have for each other," he said lovingly. "I love you, D.J.."

""I love you, too, Tommy," she said as they hugged. She was so glad to see Michelle and Stephanie succeeding so much; at least if Stephanie struggled with the lifestyle, DJ. knew the Holy Spirit would somehow woo her back each time. But, she was glad to be sticking close to home with a wonderful man and settle down to a happy, successful family and career.

FHFHFHFHFH

"You can skip the kissing," Jackson said back in the present. He always liked hearing about his parents and how deep their love was. Unlike friends his age, he didn't mind – at least in theory – the idea of girls liking him. Still, he didn't care one bit to hear about kissing at that age.

"That's pretty much the end," Michelle concluded. "Steph had sold a couple more songs by the tiem she graduated from high school, and she's sold plenty more since. That's how she's able to travel so much and afford such an extravagant lifestyle."

"Does she play music, too?" Ramona asked.

"Not much," D.J. elaborated, "she's talked about that or singing, but right now she's content to just write and have fun with the stars who sing them. And, she is very responsible." In another universe, D.J. contemplated, she wouldn't drink at all, but think were a lot different with Jesse having influenced the girls so much. Had D.J. been the main mother figure, it might have been different, she concluded inwardly.

"I started doing more and more designing and hiring others to do it, too. The Hollywood connections have really helped me, though. Darcy has, too. And, Uncle Jesse and Joey's advertising expertise even comes into play."

"I know Dad's proud of you, it's not everyone who can have a successful business at your age, but you've managed," D.J. told Michelle proudly.

"Did you do any designing for the Olsens' show?" Ramona asked.

Michelle chuckled. "That went off the air in '99 – actually, it was on its second network by then," she explained.

"They made lots of videos. We could watch them together," Ramon said.

"They're for girls,' Jackson complained.

Ramona put her hands on her hips. "They have adventures. They even have time travel in one."

"The only reason they had time travel in their Slumber Party one was so they could have all those jokes about the Dark Ages," Jackson snapped.

Michelle laughed. "True. The Olsens had advantages, but I made it, too. I guess that's where the advertising came in…"

FHFHFHFHFHFHFH

Michelle had just graduated from high school. She'd already made quite a few contacts, but she needed some help launching her fashion line while she was in college. So, she, Darcy, and Jesse had gotten together with Joey after Michelle's graduation party.

"Okay," Michelle said while seated in the Tanner living room. "Here's the deal. My Hollywood friends already have something going, but I'm thinking we cn do something as sort of the opposite – a more common person one."

Darcy informed them that she'd been studying it in college. "I've got lots of ideas, and we can branch out, too – they've got more girls' stuff, we can do sports or whatever."

"That's gonna be kind of tricky; everyone loves the glamor of Hollywood." Jesse said people liked to feel like they could identify with starts this way. "It was one thing to have a common family going to a normal store meant for everyone for groceries like we did once; remember that, Joey? I think Michelle played a cow once."

"I remember Sprawl-Mart, yeah. What you need to do is sort of sell it with humor. For instance, I've got a pretty big name – what if Mr. Woodchuck and some other puppets dressed in your stuff?" Joey asked.

"How many puppets are gonna buy their clothing?" Jesse asked with a straight face.

Darcy laughed. "Here's what we were thinking. Now, her Uncle Jesse said it might be hard, but we just need some common people to say, 'Hey, I don't have to buy the most expensive stuffed to be well dressed.' They just need to feel like they're still someone, you know?" she concluded.

Joey pointed out, "Everyone likes to laugh, right? Michelle Tanner's clothes unite the world through humor," he added, holding his hands up like a marquee.

"Joey, that's crazy. You take that one way it could make people think you'll be laughed at for wearing them," Jesse noted.

"I like the idea of a unifying factor, though," Darcy considered aloud. "Why can't it be the clothes themselves?"

"Yeah, that'd work; just get a few good ads showing a diverse group doing different things and you might have something," Jesse agreed.

"And, if a few of those people were to throw pies at each other," Joey suggested, "that would really make people notice."

FHFHFHFHFHFHFH

"We haven't done all the silly things Joey's suggested. But, we've done some, and he is star in Vegas. So, I've managed to build something, at least, by making things diverse, having a male line – at least for now – and some sports, things like that," Michelle summarized. "I don't know what you kids will do when you grow up. If you're like me, Ramona, you want to be a party planner bexcasue your mom is, a race car driver like your dad, a ballerina, and two or three other things all at the same time," she told Kimmy's girl. "You'll find something you love, I'm sure. Who knows, it might just be something you happen to realize you're good at that you had no idea about till then."

D.J. concurred. "Just like you, Jackson. I know you'd love to be a fireman 'cause of Dad – as well as three or four other things - but you'll be great at whatever you do."

Once the children went off to play before supper, DJ. sat next Michelle while holding the baby, Max, and reminisced about how rough things had been when Pam died. Danny had been quite depressed in some ways, because he'd had trouble for years consistently enforcing limits, which had made Michelle's Jess-like rebellion worse when she was little, forcing D.J. to step in and react to things a few times behind the scenes for her to not be worse – she still recalled Michelle, at around her fourth birthday, having so little self-control she crawled on the table gobbling up sampfor half a minute just after D.J. left the room.

"I'm glad you don't tell them about the samples or Disneyworld anything else," D.J. kidded her.

"They'll want to take after you, not me," Michelle responded.

She put an arm around Michelle. "Well, I am so proud of how you've grown. You've become such a wonderful young lady."

"Thanks, D.J.. You've been such a big help."

D.J. grinned. "Thanks. I feel like I could have done so much more if I'd been dedicted to it from the start, if I'd been proactive. I mean, things didnd't work out after the prom with Steve, and he needed something to take his mind off that, so he became such a workaholic with college he wound up in medical school," D.J. said with astonishment.

Michelle was surprised, too; he she didn't remember him erally well since she'd only been seven when they broke up, but she'd heard stories. "Didn't he push that 'Party Hearty' slate of class president candidates in high school?"

"Oh, yeah. The one that elected Kimmy in tenth grade thinking they could use her as a figurehead, thus turning me into Edith Wilson," she said of the first lady who had – according to some historians – run the country for months after her husband's stroke. "It does seem weird with Steve as my podiatrist now. But, that just shows when you're dedicated to something, if you have God's blessing you can make it work. I guess I really shouldn't be so hard on myself, huh? The way you've turned out, and how you can entertain the kids with stories like that, maybe I wasn't proactive like I could have been. I might have failed some when I should have been more focused on you and Steph. But, we've made it work pretty well."

"We sure have, Deej," Michelle said s they hugged.


End file.
